NEW YORK — Walt Weiss sat in the visiting team’s dugout at Citi Field on Thursday near the end of a long, ugly stretch of games. It would get even worse, with the Rockies losing 2-1 to the Mets that afternoon — the Rockies’ ninth loss on their 10-game road trip.

During spring training, the first-year manager frequently said his team had the talent to be a contender. Weiss continued saying so through the all-star break. Now that the Rockies are fighting to stay out of the National League West cellar, Weiss faces a whole set of challenges. He sat down with The Denver Post to address the state of his team.

Q. Your team’s performance and execution have been poor of late, but are you pleased with the players’ effort?

Weiss: “Yes, I am. I think these guys have competed very well. I have not sensed that they have let their guard down or taken their foot off the gas. I feel like they are grinding through some tough stuff right now.”

Q. You signed a one-year contract and now the team is facing tough times. Are you planning to come back?

Weiss: “Yes, sure. I knew it wasn’t going to be all fun and games. I have been through enough major-league seasons to understand that you’ll get beat up. But I want to be a part of building something special here. That’s what drives me.”

Q. Is the challenge of managing a big-league team what you expected it to be or more difficult?

Weiss: “There has not really been a lot of surprises. I have experienced enough in this game to understand what it looks like. It’s a little bit different in the manager’s seat because you have a lot more responsibility and a lot more people looking to you for answers. But that’s OK. That’s part of being in a leadership role.”

Q. You have not displayed a lot of emotion. How are you dealing with this tough stretch?

Weiss: “I do internalize a lot of things and I don’t wear my emotions on my sleeve for everyone to see. With the players, I try to deal with them one on one. I try to teach as a matter of fact, not as an act of judgment. I think composure in this position is important. I am a pretty private person and maybe I’m guarded. I don’t put it out there for everyone to see. So I probably run the club that way.”

Q. There has been criticism from fans and media, essentially saying that you need to throw a temper tantrum and stir things up. What do you say to that?

Weiss: “I’ve got a pretty long fuse. Usually, when I get to the end of it, I will let go. And then I will probably embarrass myself. But I can’t recall ever being motivated as a player by having my manager get thrown out in my career.

“But I can understand the idea. When things are going tough, people want to be able see that it’s bothering you. But for me, I probably look at it the opposite way. Obviously, losing bothers me, but I think composure is more important.”

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